Area high schools have provided the following biographies of their 2016 valedictorians and salutatorians.
Bartlett High School
Valedictorian: Bawan Faraedoon Qaladize has lived a short life so far, but it’s one with much achievement. His cumulative grade point average of 4.5 has earned him the distinction of Bartlett High School’s Class of 2016 valedictorian.
His ACT composite score of 34 made him eligible for the 30+ Club, and his PSAT score of 209 ranked him in the 98th percentile of students taking the test nationwide.
Throughout high school, he took a rigorous schedule of Advanced Place-ment and Honors classes. In his senior year alone, he accepted the challenge of taking six Advanced Placement classes, excelling in each one. In total, he has accumulated credits in 15 Honors and nine Advanced Placement classes.
During high school, Qaladize has been involved in numerous clubs and through these groups has done extensive volunteer work. As a member of the Spanish Club, he taught Spanish to students enrolled in special education. With the CANstruction group, he collected canned goods, engineered a structure for competition and at the conclusion of the contest, the canned goods were donated to the Mid-South Food Bank.
He is involved with the Pep crew, participating in school-wide pep rallies and supporting various sports teams. He is a member of the Beta Club, as well as currently serving as vice-president of the Cathlena Briggs chapter of the National Honor Society. Additionally, Qaladize has volunteered at the Olympics for Exceptional Athletes event at Bartlett High School and aided in the building of the Shelby Farms’ “Spooky Nights” sets.
For all four years, he has participated in the Bartlett High School soccer program. He played for the junior varsity team in grades 9-11 and the varsity team in grades 10-12.
He was captain of the junior varsity team for two years and was awarded “Best Panther” as a sophomore.
In the future, Qaladize plans to obtain an undergraduate degree in biology to prepare himself for medical school. His desire is to become a pediatrician after medical school.
Salutatorian: Victoria Lynn Flanary, daughter of Irish father Barron Dennis Flanary and Chinese mother Carol Tat Flanary, is the salutatorian of Bartlett High School’s Class of 2016, earning a 4.48 grade point average.
Throughout her high school career, Flanary challenged herself with rigorous coursework, including Honors and Advanced Placement classes in English, math, science, foreign languages, and social studies.
She made a 32 on the ACT, earning a place in the 30+ ACT Club at Bartlett. Her academic merit also earned her memberships in the National Honor Society, Beta Club and Mu Alpha Theta.
In addition to her academic achievements, she is also a member of the Key Club, Health Occupational Students of America (HOSA), and Latin Club, serving as vice-president her sophomore year. Her membership in Health Occupational Students of America and its related science coursework will assist Flanary in her plans to pursue a pre-medical track in college and a future career in the medical field. She has gone to competition for this club, reaching the state-level in the HOSA Bowl and winning first place for her efforts in the medical law and ethics competition.
Flanary’s love of language is evident in her academic career as well. Not only was she nominated for the English category of the Yearbook’s Hall of Fame, she has also studied numerous foreign languages over the years, including Spanish, Latin, Mandarin Chinese, and Vietnamese. Her literary skills show in the fact that she has submitted many works to Bartlett High School’s literary magazine, The Wardrobe, and that she plans to follow her interest in language by minoring in linguistics in college.
Flanary has also been an active individual outside the classroom, becoming a second-degree black belt in karate, an avid writer, and a frequent volunteer in the community. She has given her time to various events, including the Pink Palace Crafts Fair, Shelby Farms’ “Starry Nights” and “Spooky Nights,” the Memphis Vision Walk, and math tutoring.
She plans to continue her streak of academic excellence as she pursues a major in Neuroscience and a minor in Linguistics while embarking on a Pre-Medical track at the college of her choice.
Bolton High School
Valedictorian: The first thing that strikes you about Bolton’s valedictorian Claire Ward is her intelligence. She is pursuing the International Baccalaureate Diploma and has earned a 4.75 GPA in pursuit of that degree.
She is ranked No. 1 in the class of 480. She has excelled in both AP Government and AP History and has earned college credit in each subject.
She has an inquisitive nature and has travelled to Costa Rica and Australia with the People to People Organization. Ward distinguished herself this year by performing in the Opera “Amahl and the Night Visitors” at Bolton High School and also by being selected for the Tennessee All State Honor Choir. She recently landed a leading role in the Bolton Spring Musical “Weird Romance.”
Ward is a member of the National Honor Society and National Beta Club. She is a member of the 30 Plus Club as a result of her outstanding ACT score of 35.
She has honed her leadership skills by being chosen for Bartlett Youth Council and Youth Leadership Bartlett.
Ward is a member of the National Spanish Club and serves as the vice president. She has also been selected to be a member of the Tennessee All State Honor Choir and lends her voice to the Bolton Concert, Jazz and Opera Choirs. She is a member of the Bolton Thespian Troupe and lends her talent to the productions in both voice and dance. She anchors the school tennis team as a four-year returning veteran.
She will attend Belmont University to study music education.
Salutatorian: Haley Word is a candidate for the International Baccalaureate Diploma at Bolton High School. She has so many strengths and is at the top of the class academically. She will be recognized as the salutatorian in her senior class.
She has always challenged herself, and she wants to learn. She studies well beyond the required assignment if it is a subject of interest to her. Word scored an impressive 5 on the AP Psychology exam and a 4 in AP Government.
She has distinguished herself by being selected for membership in the National Honor Society and National Beta Club. She is also a member of the National Spanish Honor Society and has become bilingual in herfour-year pursuit of the IB Diploma.
She is also a member of the 30 Plus club in recognition of her outstanding ACT scores. She has taken 12 honors classes, 2 AP classes and 13 IB classes and still maintained a 4.57 average.
Word will attend the University of Alabama at Huntsville.
Arlington High School
Valedictorian: Ben Phelps is an outstanding student and talented cello player. He scored a 35 on his ACT and has taken 14 Advanced Placement courses and 14 Honors courses.
He also earned a perfect score on the National Latin Exam and is President of the National Latin Honor Society. He has been named an AP Scholar with Distinction and a National Merit Commended Student.
In addition, Phelps was a member of the Beta Club Quiz Bowl team that ranked second in the state last year. He also was ranked 10th in the state in the Tennessee Math Teachers Association competition for calculus.
As the principal cellist with the Germantown Youth Symphony, he auditioned for and was chosen to lead, rehearse, and conduct The University of Memphis Symphony Orchestra.
Phelps has completed many service hours with the Baptist Memorial Hospital, Red Cross, Norton Hospital in Louisville, Ky., and Naval Branch Clinic in Millington. He has been a member of Youth Leadership Bartlett, and he is treasurer of Mu Alpha Theta and president of the Beta Club.
He is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Matthew Phelps.
Salutatorian: Daniel Ma is an outstanding student who easily balances a rigorous workload and many extracurricular activities. He holds a perfect score of 36 on the ACT.
A National Merit Finalist, Ma also is a 2016 U.S. Presidential Scholars Program Candidate.
Currently ranked second in his class, he has earned Summa Cum Laude on the National Latin Exam three years in a row. He placed 10th out of all students in West Tennessee in the TMTA Math Competition in pre-calculus.
In addition, Daniel is passionate about music and is a talented violinist. He is a member of the Bellevue Baptist Church Orchestra, where he serves as assistant concertmaster. He was the director and conductor of the Peter Spurbeck Youth Chamber Orchestra from 2012 – 2013.
He also is a member of the Bartlett Extreme Swim Team and is a certified lifeguard.
Daniel has been inducted into the National Honor Society, National Latin Honor Society (president), the National English Honor Society, Mu Alpha Theta and the Beta Club (vice-president). He also is a member of the Junior Classical League and Key Club.
He is the son of Mr. and Mrs. David Ma.
Saint Benedict at Auburndale
Valedictorian: SBA’s valedictorian, Vanessa Tejada, is an impressive artist and conscientious student. She is a member of the 30+ Club (those who have scored 30 or above on the ACT) and plans to study architectural engineering in college.
She has taken a rigorous schedule of Honors and Advanced Placement classes, including AP Studio Art. Her art awards are endless, including two Silver Keys and two Honorable Mentions in the Mid-South Scholastic Art Competition last year and a Gold Key, two Silver Keys and an Honorable Mention in this year’s contest. She also received the Best Overall Student Art Award, First Award and Memphis College of Art Award in the 2015 Delta Fair, as well as First in the Belz Museum of Asian and Judaic Art Contest in 2014.
She designed a Christmas card selected by the Diocesan Catholic Schools as their official card last Christmas. She was selected an Academic All-Star for Art.
Using her artistic talent, Tejada helped create calendars for an art department fundraiser. She also supports St. Jude patients by designing Valentine cards for distribution and makes Christmas cards for U.S. soldiers stationed overseas. She has been selected for the National Art Honor Society, National Honor Society, National French Honor Society, National Science Honor Society and Mu Alpha Theta. She is a member of the Art Club, French Club and Key Club. In addition, she tutors other students in math and French.
Tejada plans to attend Cornell University to study engineering. She is the daughter of Dickmar Tejada and Ximera Monroy.
Salutatorian: Emma Norman is a gifted artist and top student. She also has produced award-winning art, and her honors include the People’s Choice Award at the Belz Museum of Asian and Judaic Art last year and First Place this year; Honorable Mention at the Mid-South Scholastic Arts Competition last year and two Silver Keys this year; and Second Place overall at the Cooper-Young Young Artists competition. She also was selected an Academic All-Star for Art.
She received Maxima Cum Laude and Cum Laude on the National Latin Exam and has represented the school at the Tennessee Math Teachers Association Competition.
Norman has a passion and love for horses. She has been riding since she was six and has been a competitive barrel racer since she was 10, winning numerous titles.
She volunteers for the Bartlett Animal Shelter, Horse Camp and downtown soup kitchens.
She has been inducted into the National Art Honor Society, National Latin Honor Society, National Science Honor Society, National Honor Society and Mu Alpha Theta.
Norman plans an undeclared major at Rhodes College. She is the daughter of Virginia Norman.
St. Agnes Academy
Valedictorian: Lindsay Arvin is the valedictorian of the St. Agnes Academy Class of 2016. She has accepted an appointment to the United States Naval Academy, where she will compete as a member of the Navy Track and Field Team.
She also received an Appointment to the United States Air Force Academy. She was accepted at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, the University of South Alabama in Mobile, the University of Tennessee at Knoxville and Mississippi State University in Starkville.
A class leader, Arvin served as president of Mu Alpha Theta Math Honor Society. She was recognized as an Academic All Star for Math and was a founding member of the school’s Mathletes team.
She was a member of the National Honor Society, Mu Theta Kappa, Spanish National Honor Society, Rho Kappa Social Studies Honor Society, and the English Honor Society.
At SAA she competed on both the volleyball and track teams. In 2015 she was named to the D2-AA All Region Volleyball team and named to the Commercial Appeal Best of the Preps Shelby/Metro Volleyball.
She was the Triple Jump Regional Champion in 2015 and was also named to the Best of the Preps Shelby/Metro Track in 2015. During the 2016 track season she placed first in the triple jump in all league meets, and she captured first place in the triple jump in the Shelby County Championships.
Salutatorian: Grace Ashbery, salutatorian of the St. Agnes Academy Class of 2016, will attend the Honors Program at the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa.
A National Merit Commended Student, Ashbery was also accepted to the Auburn University Honors College, the University of Mississippi, the University of Georgia Honors College, the University of Notre Dame, the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, and Syracuse University Renee Crown Honors Program.
An AP Scholar, Ashbery was a member of the National Honor Society, National English Honor Society, Rho Kappa Social Sciences Honor Society, Mu Alpha Theta, and the National Junior Classical League. She participated in Youth in Government and the Model UN, as well the National Senior Beta Club.
She served as a Dominican Retreat Leader and was a member of the Fleece of Faith Club. Ashbery competed as a four-year member of the St. Agnes varsity tennis team and served as captain during her senior year.
